Creator Mike Gaston explains why he (correctly) assumed this would be captivating.

Anyone under the age of 40 is likely familiar with the experience of helping aging parents or grandparents with new technology. Unaccustomed to the myriad gadgets required for entertainment and communication, our digital non-native elders are often forced into adopting new tech to keep up with the times–and their families. The way their face lights up during that first video call with their grandkids is priceless. Still, it’s not quite as exceptional as watching grannies learning the finer details of working a bong and a vaporizer, and witnessing them process the experience of smoking weed for the first time. A new video provides such pleasure.

advertisement

“Grandmas Smoking Weed for the First Time” is precisely what you’d expect: three refined older ladies are assembled to toke for the camera. As they contemplate why they’ve never been high their reasons range from being too busy raising kids to being content with their suburban housewife routine of cigarettes and cocktails.

Their butterflies around the prospect of trying something new, and newly legalized in Washington–where this video was filmed–quickly flutter away as they’re presented with a bong, which is a confusing contraption. As the first woman takes a haul she quickly assumes the role of Alpha Granny, instructing her more tepid companions to “do it like you mean it.”

From there, they’re presented with a vaporizor, the form of which immediately amuses a now-high Alpha Granny, and then the trio is given snacks (naturally) and the opportunity to play Jenga and Cards Against Humanity.

Predictably, the results are hilarious and also really endearing. But the film is a useful creative tool to facilitate a conversation around weed just as states like Washington are moving towards legalizing or decriminalizing the drug. In fact, that was the impetus for this film says Mike Gaston of Cut, the creative agency behind the video. “We’re big fans of companies like Buzzfeed and Vice, and we were wondering if it were possible to make a video that was culturally relevant like Vice but do it in a more Buzzfeedy way–a way that makes people feel good,” says Gaston. “With the national debate on the legalization of marijuana we thought let’s try something that reflects on the absurdity of some of these legacy laws. And that’s how grandmas smoking weed happened.”

In a culture where drugs have been blanketed in war rhetoric, and at a time when those calcified walls are being broken down, a trio of well-spoken, color-coordinated and charming grans makes for pretty accessible and non-threatening ambassadors. So, was it hard to convince these women to give it a try? Not at all, says Gaston. “It wasn’t hard to get them to smoke weed. Honestly, the hardest part was finding three grandmas who had never smoked weed before.”

About the author

Rae Ann Fera is a writer with Co.Create whose specialty is covering the media, marketing, creative advertising, digital technology and design fields. She was formerly the editor of ad industry publication Boards and has written for Huffington Post and Marketing Magazine.